The One That Got Away
by Daddy's LiL HeartBreaker
Summary: In another life, she would be his girl and it'd be them against the world. Except maybe they  don't need another life after all. Maybe they just need to stop running and realize what is there right in front of them.


**Title: The One That Got Away**

**Summary: In another life, she would be his girl and it'd be them against the world. Except maybe they don't need another life after all. Maybe they just need to stop running and realize what is there right in front of them.**

**Characters: Sam, Dean, Blonde Ruby, Lila Bray, Maggie Stark, Don Stark, Mentions of The Campbells, Castiel, The Braedens, and Bobby Singer among others.**

**Timeline: AU mentions of seasons 4, 5, and 6. AU season seven.**

**Warnings: Language. Um, all the usual warnings that go with this show really.**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing. Everything belongs to Eric Kripke and Co. Except for Lila Bray Winchester who belongs to Becks Rylynn.**

**Author's Notes: So yes, I'm borrowing Becks Rylynn's character of Lila Bray whom I hope to do justice. Hopefully. She gave me permission a while ago to use Lila Bray in a story so I finally am. Anyway, this was initially supposed to be my Christmas gift for Becks. Sorry it's a bit late, hon. I hope you like it anyhow.**

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><p><span>Chapter one<span>

_In another life_  
><em>I would be your girl<em>  
><em>We'd keep all our promises<em>  
><em>Be us against the world<em>

_In another life_  
><em>I would make you stay<em>  
><em>So I don't have to say<em>  
><em>You were the one that got away<em>  
><em>The one that got away<em>

Four months. Down in Hell, it was more like forty years. Ruby spent those four months trying to help Sam cope with the loss of his big brother and trying to help him find a way to get Dean back. Three minutes. That was how long she had to wait before her life was changed forever by one little word. Pregnant. She initially freaked out and considered getting rid of it. Ultimately, she couldn't go through with it and choosing to keep the baby ended up being the best decision of her life. Still, the pregnancy was a distraction for Ruby and it allowed an old enemy of hers named Kristy to infiltrate Sam's life. Then Ruby's whole world was flipped upside down when Dean returned from Hell. She was six months pregnant at the time.

Lila Bray Winchester was born on the snowy evening of December 10th of that year. Ruby had gone through the entire birth alone. Still, Lila Bray seemed absolutely perfect and she really couldn't ask for more. She was a few months old when she and her father had finally met for the first time. By then, Kristy was dead and Ruby was hurt that the Winchesters had believed it to be her. She also met an angel named Castiel. Despite her being a demon, they surprisingly began to strike up a sort of friendship. He even surprised Dean and Ruby by blessing the baby.

It was all too perfect and normal. Ruby just knew it wouldn't last and she was right. Jo Harvelle had died to save Dean from being attacked by Hell Hounds and her mother Ellen had chosen to die beside her taking the Hell Hounds with them. The boys had been devastated and Ruby tried to comfort them the best that she could. She just had no experience with comfort like that. Then it happened. Dean believed that Ruby and Lila Bray weren't safe around him. So he left cutting off all contact with him. It had been Castiel that broke the news to her about Sam's sacrifice and she had been devastated. Then one day Sam just showed up on her doorstep. She had been shocked and after ensuring that he was just Sam, she hugged him tightly.

He had said that he wanted her to go somewhere with him and she obliged. They ended up in front of a nice house and her heart practically shattered at what she saw. It was Dean with Lisa and her son Ben. Granted, Dean didn't look happy, but still. After that, it didn't take much for Sam to get Ruby to agree to hunt again. With Lila Bray in tow, Ruby had been introduced by Sam to his grandfather Samuel Campbell along with cousins Johnny, Christian, Gwen, and Mark. It didn't take long for the cousins to get defensive toward Ruby, but it was Samuel that calmed them down. Even though he didn't like the fact that she was a demon, he also knew that she was the mother of Mary's granddaughter. He'd never admit it, but she also reminded him of Mary which he admired about her.

As quiet as he tended to be, it had been Mark that left a lasting impression on Ruby. He was the only Campbell that she actually liked. She, Lila Bray, and Sam spent nearly a year with the Campbells. It was during that year that she fell for Mark and he fell for her. Castiel still popped in every so often when she was alone or just with Lila. It was comforting to see him at least. Then Dean was unceremoniously forced back into her life. After his little family reunion with Sam and Samuel along with meeting his cousins, Ruby walked in with little Lila Bray in tow. He had made a beeline toward them and she didn't even hesitate to let him hold their daughter. It was a moment that hadn't gone unnoticed by Mark, but he didn't say a word. The moment, in fact, was broken by Samuel who informed Dean of the current situation. Johnny Campbell had been posted outside of Dean and Lisa's home to watch over Lisa and Ben except Johnny wasn't answering his phone. So it didn't take long for them to head over to the house only to find Johnny dead while Lisa and Ben were still safe. Dean and Sam brought the two of them along with Ruby and Lila Bray over to Bobby's house knowing it would be much safer for them there.

The car ride was awkward to say the least and once they got there, Bobby wasn't exactly welcoming to Ruby at first. That is until Dean introduced him to Lila Bray referring to him as Grandpa Bobby. The older hunter softened considerably and welcomed the two blondes into his home. Ruby set Lila Bray down in one of the guest rooms for her nap and it didn't take much for her to overhear Dean's conversation with the guys. As she made her way back downstairs, Ruby also overheard his conversation with Lisa and swallowed hard. Part of her was angry as she believed he should of been a great father to Lila Bray. Still, she bit her tongue and let them talk alone. When she goes to check on Lila Bray, she finds Dean sitting by the bed watching their daughter sleep. His silver ring is hanging from a chain around the older blonde's neck and she's toying with it like she usually does.

"Out of everything I have ever done, she's the one perfect thing that came out of it all." He whispered staring down at their daughter practically in awe.

Tears prick the corners of her bright blue eyes and she turned away leaving them be for the moment. It wasn't long after that when the Winchester brothers left to meet up with the Campbells and deal with the Djinns that they were hunting. Of course things didn't go exactly according to plan as Dean did end up getting attacked by a Djinn again, but he was also rescued by Sam again. It was afterward that Sam argued with Dean that he needed to get back into hunting, but Dean refused insisting he needed to keep Lisa and Ben safe.

"Yeah and who's going to keep Lila Bray safe, Dean? She's your daughter." Sam snapped before running his hand through his shaggy brown hair.

Dean was torn and they both knew it. Sam hadn't meant to snap. It wasn't that he didn't like Lisa because he did. He was just protective of his niece. Still, Dean made his choice and resumed his normal domestic life with the Braedens. He thought about Lila Bray constantly though and wasn't surprised when he received a phone call from Sam. He was stuck with a baby after its parents got killed by the latest monster Sam was hunting. He begged Dean for help claiming Ruby was too busy with Lila Bray and the guilt of it all had Dean meeting up with Sam all too soon. Of course they went to a grocery store to stock up on baby supplies and when they reached the checkout line, the baby refused to stop crying. The elderly woman behind them offered to help, but Dean caught her eyes flash in the security camera feed. The brothers quickly paid for their items and ran out of the store to Sam's car. Sam threw the bags in the trunk slamming it shut before jumping into the driver's seat while Dean was in the backseat quickly trying to strap the baby into the car seat.

It was a motel that they finally stopped at and once Dean was settled in the room with the baby, Sam went off to question some people in connection with the case. Dean fed the baby and changed the baby's diaper before setting him down for his nap. The knock at the door surprised him and he grabbed his gun on his way to the door opening it cautiously only to relax when he saw that it was Ruby. She looked at Dean swallowing hard before walking into the room. Out of instinct, she checked on the baby who had just shifted into a different baby revealing that it was a shifter baby before looking over at Dean.

"What are you doing here, Ruby? Sam said you were busy with Lila Bray. Where is she by the way?" Dean asked slightly stunned to see her standing there.

The blonde shook her head sighing softly, "She's with Bobby. Don't worry, she's safe. As for why I'm here, well, ask Sam. He's the one that begged me to come saying he needed my help."

"Ruby..." He trailed off as the sparkle of the diamond ring that rested upon her left ring finger caught his eye.

She fidgeted slightly under his gaze moving the ring out of view. Before either of them could say anything further, the door was kicked in and they both came face to face with a shifter. Just then a shot rang out and the shifter collapsed to the ground dead. It was upon seeing Sam standing there with his gun raised that they realized he had shot the shifter in the heart. As Sam ushered Dean out of the room with the baby, Ruby chose to stay behind cleaning up the mess as well as covering their tracks. She arrived at the Campbell Compound a little later on her own and grew confused when she saw two Samuel Campbells. It didn't take long at all for her to figure out that one was the Alpha shifter. Everything after that seemed to happen in a blur for Ruby. The shifter had grabbed Mark and she tried to stop him only to watch in horror as Mark was killed right in front of her. In a sudden burst of anger, Ruby charged forward attacking the shifter. It fought back knocking her out of the way. Her body slammed against a wall and slid down before collapsing. While the real Samuel distracted the shifter, Dean rushed to the panic room with the baby in tow.

"Sam, get Ruby." Dean instructed his younger brother who did as he was told scooping the blonde's limp body up before following him.

The younger Winchester set the blonde down gently against the wall within the panic room and stood up turning around only to find himself face to face with the shifter who had taken on his appearance. They fought a bit only for the shifter to gain the upper hand tossing Sam out of the panic room slamming against a wall. Dean stood against the back wall of the panic room holding the shifter baby within his arms protectively. The shifter came towards Dean now appearing exactly like him and after a bit of a struggle, it managed to get the baby away from Dean. He let them go falling to the ground and glanced out the door in Sam's direction. His brother groaned, but gave him a look as if to say he was alright so Dean crawled over to Ruby.

"Come on, Rubes. It's time to get up." Dean whispered as he soothingly brushed her blonde locks away from her face gently.

A groan escaped past her lips as her bright blue eyes fluttered open meeting his hazel green. "He's dead, Dean. He's dead."

It was all she could really say before collapsing into his strong arms in grief. It was an emotion that Dean had never seen her display before and he had no idea how to handle it. So he picked her up and had Sam drive them to Bobby's house knowing she'd be better off closer to their daughter. Ruby had loved Mark, but she wasn't in love with him. Truth was, she had given her heart away a long time ago to Dean and she didn't want it back. Seeing their daughter was comforting for her and she tried to stay strong for Lila Bray. Once her baby girl fell asleep, Ruby let the tears fall only to hear the slight flutter of wings. He didn't even have to say anything and the older blonde was already in his trench coat covered arms.

Castiel held her trying to comfort her the best that he could, "It's alright, Ruby. He's at peace."

Ruby shook her head not seeing how the man she cared for being killed was alright. Before she could protest what the angel had just said, he pressed his fingers against her head and she collapsed in his arms. He set her down in her bed tucking her in and kissed her head lightly before heading out to find Dean. He had only really made her fall asleep like that so she would at least get a good night's rest. Mark's funeral was at sunset the next day and it was a hunter's funeral. Ruby could barely stand watching his body burn up and found herself burying her face in Dean's chest. He held her trying his best to give her some comfort. It was no surprise to any of them that Dean brought the Impala out of retirement afterwards and returned to hunting. Unfortunately, it wasn't long before Dean wound up becoming one of creatures that he and Sam hunted. A vampire to be exact. Overwhelmed by his new hypersensitivity to light and sound along with having fangs, Dean left the motel he and Sam were staying at only to head over to the house he shared with Lisa. He thanked her for everything, but the sound of her heartbeat got the best of him resulting in Dean shoving her against the wall. He turned away letting her go as he could feel his fangs extend and tried to leave only to run into Ben in the hallway. He tells Ben to stay away and like most kids, Ben doesn't listen so Dean shoves him away yelling at him before leaving.

It was when Dean arrived back at the motel that he found Ruby there instead of Sam. His fangs ached as he stared at her listening to her heartbeat. It was different from Lisa and Sam though. Lisa's heartbeat tempted him like a freshly baked pie that he knew he shouldn't eat, but wanted to anyway. Sam, well, he was like a walking talking hamburger to say the least. With Ruby, it was different. As hard as he tried, he just couldn't resist and before he realized what he was doing, he had her pinned against a wall as his fangs sank into her skin. She was intoxicating. Her blood was sweet, spicy, and tantalizing. It was pure decadence and he just wanted more. He wondered if this was how Sam had felt when he was hopped up on demon blood. Sam returned not too long afterward and it was quiet. Too quiet.

Then he heard it loud and clear. The bathroom door creaked open and out walked Ruby looking disheveled. It didn't take a rocket scientist to figure out what had happened. She was gone before he could even get a word out. Dean walked out a moment later just as Samuel walked in. They informed him that they could turn him back, but that they'd need the blood of the vampire that had turned him. So off Dean went into the vampire coven. Despite currently being a vampire, Dean was still pure hunter. He sliced his way back out of the coven returning to his brother and grandfather with the vampire's blood. They put the concoction together and he made a face before downing it. Suddenly he gasped coughing a bit before tossing his head back bearing his fangs as black ooze poured out past his lips. Images of things that had happened while he had been a vampire flew through his mind and then he passed out. He came to moments later good as new.

As expected, Lisa refused to answer his calls. He also knew something was wrong with Sam, but he just hadn't figured out what yet. Then there was Ruby. She wasn't answering his calls either. He wasn't sure whether to consider this normal or strange. After what happened, he really wanted to know that she was okay. Then he saw the screen of his cell phone light up indicating that he had a new text message. It was only two words long. Two words he had never actually wanted to see.

_Goodbye Dean_


End file.
